Toynbee is going to be distressed to learn that Luce stole his line.
But that happens. Which is why the line is often altered to "Life is one damn
thing after another." But then Dorothy Parker corrected that. "Life," she
said, "is one damn thing over and over again."
I once published several dozen books on the work of nineteenth century
painters, with a heavy emphasis on Brit painters. They ranged from Blake on
through
the PreRaphaelites and then Art Nouveau. Whole books on guys like Fuseli,
Samuel Palmer, Richard Dadd. I got to the point where I persuaded myself I
could
discern -- give or take ten years -- when a picture was painted. But that
narrow knowledgeability never persuaded me to claim I "understood" the
paintings.
But that's okay -- I asked only what "understanding a painting" meant to you.
You're entitled to your usage. But I still claim you haven't conveyed -- to
me, at any rate -- much of your notion. For example, if you had a student who
studied the works, and could, say, cite the broad characteristics that
labeled both Beardsley and Mucha as "Art Nouveau" -- would that be sufficent
for you
to say he "understood" their works?
**************
Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with
Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.
(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?&
NCID=aolfod00030000000002)
